A Qualitative Study of Black Women's Experiences with Community Reentry Following Incarceration

Background and Purpose: Black women in the United States (U.S.) are situated in the margins due to membership as a minority in gender and race identities, leading them to be overlooked. Black women transitioning from imprisonment to community face complex multidimensional challenges due to their identity and involvement in the criminal justice system. The current examine the unique experiences of Black women transitioning from incarceration into the community to inform practice and policy tailored to this population. Knowledge of Black women's experience with reentry may provide evidence-informed approaches and interventions to ensure successful reentry for Black women.

Methods: Seventeen in-depth, semi-structured interviews were conducted with adult Black women who were formerly incarcerated for at least six months and released for at least six months. Participants were recruited from a reentry agency in Washington D.C., Atlanta, Georgia (USA), and participant referrals. Interviews explored the meaning that Black women make of their gendered and racialized experiences following a period of incarceration. The interviews explored significant challenges faced by the participants due to their identities. Interviews were transcribed via otter.ai software and coded thematically, guided by the principles of hermeneutic phenomenology, Black Feminist Thought, and an inductive approach to qualitative analysis.

Findings: Black women's gendered and racialized identities impeded their access to housing, employment, and resource attainment. These findings align with what has been highlighted in the literature on the major challenges returning citizens face. The significant piece of this, as it relates to Black women, is that due to their double minority identity, their options are limited. To how a White woman can use her identity to bypass certain hurdles, such as presenting as a white female, Black women are further limited because of their criminal history. If they are lucky enough to bypass certain things, they are further marginalized once their criminal history is discovered.

Conclusions and Implications: A Black woman with a criminal record is not privileged regarding resource attainment and employment. Regarding support, they are limited to those with whom they share a history, which is problematic because it leads them back to the criminal lifestyle. Findings highlight a need for case management services for Black women returning to their community after incarceration to ensure they receive the necessary services to thrive in the community.